


Calm Before The Storm

by DWImpala67



Series: Walker Storm Verse [3]
Category: Walker (TV 2021)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Cordell Walker Played By Jared Padalecki, Digital Art, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Friendship/Love, Grief/Mourning, Idiots in Love, M/M, Post Episode AU, Protective Jensen Ackles, The Author Regrets Nothing, Walker au, season 1 episode 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 19:20:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30043476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DWImpala67/pseuds/DWImpala67
Summary: Today marks exactly one year since Emily’s death. Walker keeps assuring his friends and family that he’s fine, but in reality he’s far from being fine. But there’s someone who knows just what to do to help Walker deal with not only his grief, but also his feelings.
Relationships: Cordell Walker (Walker TV 2021/Jack Wesson, Cordell Walker/Emily Walker, Jensen Ackles/Cordell Walker (Walker TV 2021)
Series: Walker Storm Verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175336
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	Calm Before The Storm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jld71](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jld71/gifts).



> This is a gift for a very dear friend. She helped through so much as I dealt with stress IRL. Thank you, Jen, for everything. Here's a little appreciation for you my friend. Hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> To my awesome beta Jerzcaligirl. Thank you for swiftly coming to my rescue at such a short notice.
> 
> So I watched the new episode of Walker and I just had the strongest urge to hug him all throughout the episode. He's such an adorable softie. So, here's my version of what happened. 
> 
> This is a work of fiction and written only for entertainment purposes. 
> 
> English is not my language so kindly pardon my mistakes. Both Art and fic by me. Kindly don't repost without my permission.
> 
> Happy Reading!

“I’m proud of you.” Micki says, giving Walker a smile.

It’s been a rough day. Cordell knows he still needs to get a grip on his feelings. Because even though he knows he’s trying to deal with his emotions, he’s far from succeeding. For instance, he should spend his day with his kids, going camping, and yet here he is, mourning at the place his wife loved the most. 

“She’s right, you know.” A voice says from behind him. 

Walker doesn’t have to turn around and look to know who it is. 

“Don't you  _ ever _ get tired of always being at the right place at the right time?” Walker asks, smiling as he watches the man, clad in black jeans and red plaid shirt, walking up to them and planting himself on the chair right next to him. 

“Never when it comes to you,” Jack smiled back, eye crinkles making an appearance . 

“How did you know I was here though?” Cordell asked Jack. 

“Well, I know what day it is and I know Geri is selling this place so...here I am.” Jack shrugged, smirking at the narrowed eyes that were thrown his way. “So, haven’t had the chance to meet you, Ranger Ramirez. I’m Jack Wesson.” Jack extends his hand to the woman sitting with them. 

Micky’s eyes widen as she looks at the beautiful man. It amused her to see the ease with which the man - Jack, walked in and sat down beside Walker, with no hesitation. She also didn’t miss the way Walker immediately relaxed when the guy showed up. She shook Jack’s hand, appreciating the firm grip. “Nice to meet you, too. So, how do you know…”

“He knows everything about everything…” Walker rolled his eyes and gulped down his drink as Jack threw a sweet smile at him. “Really, I’m not joking, ” he assured Micky, as she looked at him skeptically. 

“You don’t actually mean that.” Micky tilted her head sideways as he snickered.

“Oh, I absolutely mean that. He knows everything..like literally.” Walker said, as he gripped the bottle to pour more whiskey in his glass. 

“Nah, he’s just joking.” Jack pushed Walker’s hand away as he began pouring the drink into his glass. “Hey, put that thing away. I think you’ve had enough for now.” 

“Hey, no one asked you.” Walker pouted, rubbing over his hand where it stung a bit. “Why do you even…”

“Care? Yeah, because if I don’t then who will?” Jack raised his eyebrows at the petulant looking Walker as if he was a kid who was just scolded for throwing a tantrum. “Now, we don’t want your partner, Ranger Ramirez here, to think you’re just a naughty boy, do we?” 

“Whatever.”

Meanwhile, Micky was observing the two men’s interaction. She could tell that Jack was close to Walker, but in all this time she’d never heard of him before. “Seriously, who  _ is _ this?” She asked Walker, but he just ignored her, so she turned to the man himself. “Who are you?”

Jack folded his hands and leaned on the table, “I’m Jack Wesson. Walker’s best friend. I own the Jackson Ranch.”

This time, Micky was indeed surprised. “You’re  _ that _ Jack Wesson? The one that owns Texas Saloon? They’re kinda all over Texas.” 

Jack let out a laugh. “Yeah, I’m that Jack Wesson.” 

“Well, no one told me you were friends with this angry young man here.” Micky replied, looking pointedly at Walker. “I love your beers.” 

“Yeah, so you can what? Fangirl after him? You know he’s just the owner. He doesn’t actually brew the beer.” Walker scowled at Micky, jealous that she was getting Jack’s attention instead of him.

“Hey, calm down, cowboy. I was just giving feedback as a loyal customer.” Micky frowned at Walker. “Why are you so pissy suddenly?” 

“Because he’s no longer the center of our attention.” Jack laughed at the scowl on Walker’s face. “Thank you, for your honest feedback. Much appreciated.” Jack then punched Walker affectionately on his arm, “Aww, dude, don’t worry, we’ll focus on you soon.” 

Micky was happy to see Walker smile. She was worried about him drowning in his emotions. But looking at Jack interacting with Walker, she knew there was something more going on between the two. And while she was very curious to know what was going on, she also knew that both men were not yet ready to share the nature of their relationship with her. Contemplating the guarded look on Walker’s face, she knew it was time to go. “Alright, guys, have fun. I gotta head out. My mom’s waiting at home for me. We don’t need to give her any more ammunition than she's already got, do we?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Walker said, grudgingly. He was squirming in his seat. He couldn’t wait for Micky to leave so that he could have Jack all to himself. 

Micky could tell that Walker wanted her to leave them alone and she stood up. “Seriously though, I’m really proud of you.” She gave him a reassuring smile before turning towards Jack. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Wesson. I really look forward to seeing you again.” 

“Same here. And please, call me Jack.” 

“Night.” She bid them goodbye, secure in knowing that her partner was being cared for by Jack. 

Once Micky left, Jack tapped on Walker’s shoulder. 

“What?” The irritated ranger asked. 

“Don’t take that tone with me, mister. It doesn’t work on me.” Jack reprimanded his friend. 

“Sorry, it’s just...I just…”

“Come on, lets get inside.” Jack pulled Walker up and they headed inside. 

They sat down on stools near the bar and Jack held Walker’s hands in his, clasping them tight in his grip. He saw the swirl of emotions passing through his friend’s eyes, and Jack gave him a small smile. 

“This was Emily’s place. And today marks exactly a year since she died. So, it’s obvious that you’re spending the entire day here so you can feel close to her. But that doesn’t mean you should just waste away your present, Walker.” Jack could see how his friend was struggling to keep it together, and he wished he could ease the pain away.

Walker was close to breaking down. He’d been on edge the entire day. He didn’t know how he was going to make it through, but somehow seeing Jack had been like a breath of fresh air and he knew he could let go, that he was safe with Jack. “I just miss her so much, Jack.” He whispered as he saw sympathy and understanding dawn on Jack’s face.

“I know you do.” Jack replied, releasing Walker’s hands, reaching a hand up around the back of Walker's neck, and pulling him down until their foreheads touched. “But you’re here and she’s not. That’s the reality of it. I know it’s hard to let go, but you need to focus on mending the bridge with your family. And it’s going to be hard,  _ really _ hard, and there’s gonna be times when you wish you could just shut it all out and run away. But, babe, you have to be stronger than this.” 

Walker closed his eyes and let the words wash over him, “It’s just  _ so _ fucking hard. Today especially.”

“There’s no one in the entire Universe who knows the cure for a grieving heart. What we  _ can _ do is help you get through it. There’s no use in penting up all the emotions inside you, Walker. I get you’re frustrated, pissed even. But at some point in time, you have to learn to live through it.”

Walker gave out a sad, wet laugh. “You always have the answer to everything, don’t you?”

“Nah, I just know my man  _ very _ well.” Jack smiled, planting a sweet kiss on Walker’s forehead. “All you need to remember is that you don’t have to be the tough guy all the time. You deserve a place where you can just be you, no responsibilities, no work, no stress. Just  _ you _ , Cordell Walker.”

“And that place is with you.” Walker completed what was left unsaid by Jack. 

Jack chuckled, “You got a problem with that, Mr. Ranger?”

“No, the opposite in fact.” Walker leaned forward and took Jack’s plush, pink lips in a passionate kiss. “So fucking glad you’re here.” He was desperate for more. He needed to feel Jack around him, under him, near him. He just fucking needed to feel Jack. Because today was a day that reminded him of death, and Jack was the embodiment of life and just how colorful it could be. His hands roamed all over Jack’s plaid-covered body, touching everything that reminded him that they were here and still alive. 

“I’m glad, too.” Jack replied. 

“Promise me you won’t leave. I don’t know how I’d handle losing you.” Walker spoke in between kisses, trying to hold back his tears. 

“Hey, no more dark thoughts tonight, huh?” Jack stopped the hands roaming over his body and palmed Walker’s face in his own hands. “I promise you. I’m not going anywhere. I’m right here, Walker. All you need to do is ask for what you want.” 

“I just want to be able to breathe again, freely.” 

“Then, I’ll help you do exactly that.” Jack stared at those beautiful color-changing eyes until Walker nodded in understanding. “Good, now, you promised the kids you’d go camping.”

Walker groaned, “I know, but can we just…”

“Walker,” Jack looked at him sternly.

“I know. I bailed on them again.” 

“You did, but you needed time to deal with things too. So, how about you ask them to come here instead?” Jack suggested.

“What?”

“You said it yourself. This was Emily’s place, and you want the kids to honor her and feel close to her. That was why you were going on the camping trip in the first place, right?” Jack reminded him. “I remember, you told me yourself, you doofus.” Jack said when he saw the look of confusion on Walker’s face.

Walker flushed immediately, a pink blush covering his face. “Yeah right, that time, when I called you at night and there was…” 

“There was ...what do you call it? Phone or mobile sex? Or sexting? Or..”

“Alright alright, shut up.” Walker grunted as Jack snorted.

“Why, Ranger Walker, are you suddenly all shy talking about it? You weren’t so shy while doing it.” Jack was enjoying the way Walker seemed to be embarrassed about the time they indulged themselves in some kinky phone sex. 

“That was one time and ...and... _ God _ that was hot.” Walker admitted, remembering that night vividly. 

“Yeah, it was.” Jack sighed happily, knowing he had calmed the storm of feelings inside his friend, for now. He had an inkling that it was going to be tough for him going forward, and he prayed his friend found the strength to go through the hurdles. He was thinking about it when his attention fell on Walker’s bandaged hand. “Oh my God, what the Hell happened?”

Walker was embarrassed, but also happy that Jack was just so caring and loving. Because he basked in the attention that Jack gave him. “Yeah...I nailed myself.”

“Well, if you wanted to nail yourself, you could have just called me, babe. I would have helped you.” Jack smirked, knowing it would drive Walker crazy.

“Ugh, Jack, why would you say that! Now of all times when you know we can’t do anything about it tonight.” Walker complained. 

“Aww man, not even a quicky? Come on.”

“Nuh-uh, someone told me I need to focus on my kids, too.”

“Cordell Walker, how dare you talk about the kids when I’m thinking about fucking you?” Jack fake gasped.

“You’re a terrible actor. Now go, get out. I’m gonna call Dad, see if he can drop the kids here.” Walker groused. 

“Alright, I’m going. But seriously, Walker, I’m really proud of you. Not just because you’re trying to be there for your kids and family, but also because you’re owning up to your mistakes. I’m especially proud of that.” 

“You heard everything? How long had you been here before you decided to be visible?” Walker looked at his lover suspiciously. The man really had a talent for being mysterious. 

“Hmm...let’s see, between you blowing off Micky and the ceiling falling down, I’d say about fifteen minutes.” Jack replied, thrilled at the surprise on Walker’s face.

“It took you fifteen minutes to show up? How dare you? I needed you.” Walker burst out.

“And that’s why I am here.” Jack said, embracing the man tightly to his chest, smiling when he felt those freakishly long arms surrounding his waist. 

“Thank you. For being you. For being my happy place.” 

They stood there for a long time, hugging each other close. Once Jack left, Walker was going to call his parents and see if they could drop off the kids, and then he’d spend his time making it up to them. All in due time. Not now. Now was the time to just let go and relax. There’s going to be times when Jack would not be enough to help Walker process his feelings. But he was enough for now, and that’s what mattered the most. 

The End.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you do much for reading! Let me know what you think.


End file.
